Rail-joint.



' J. B. WEEVER.

RAIL JOINT.

MPLIOATION FILED JUNE 11, 1908.

9%,Q24 Patented May 18, 1909.

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JOHN B. WEEVER, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Aprication filed June 11, 1908. Serial No. 437,892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J). Wnnvnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State ofIndiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hail-Joints, oiwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints of that type in which theassociated rail ends are cut 0' at oblique angles and wherein also theabutting terminals of the rail heads are likewise obliquely spliced toreduce the noise and ease the movement of car wheels thereovcr and toobviate wear on the joint by pounding and wear of the ends of the rails.

The most essential feature of the joint cmbodying the features of theinvention is that the terminals of the flange portions of t he rails intheir conterminous relation are situated at a distance from the:nljacent ends of the 'l'i'ead portions of the rails so as to form aperterminals and head terminals of the rails are cut through at opposingoblique angles in addition to the location of the joint between the headterminals, as above noted, and thus produce a stronger resistance tolateral motion or movement of the rail terminals. The angle through thelower half of each rail web and flange is more acute than the angle ofthe joint formed between the adjacent ends of the rail heads so that theflange may cross the entire width of a tie and pass at all oints acrossthe grain of the wood instead 0 with the grain, giving the flangeterminals a more positive support for the superincumbent weight, andpreventing splitting of the ends of the ties.

Other secondary structural advantages will be hereinafter more fullyspecified.

in the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of rail terminals shownseparated and embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a topplan view of the rail terminals oroxtremitics shown separated. Fig? 3illustrates a side elevation of the assembled rail terminals orextremities as they appear before the fish plates are applied. lig. 4 isa detail elevation of one of the fish plates. Fig. 5 is a top plan viewof the complete joint. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view' through thecomplete joint and particularly showingthe mode of assembling theilates. v 7

Similar characters of reference are eniployod to indicate correspomlingparts in the several views.

The numerals 1 and 2 designate rail sections or extremities of usualform and having heads 3, webs 4, and base flanges 5. The section orextremity 1 is undercut as at 6 downwardly from about the longitudinalcenter of the web 4 through the base flange 5, and the section 2 isreversely cut upwardly as at 7 proportionately to the undercut 6, or sothat the webs of the two rail extremities when assembled will nnitedlyhave a vertical extent equal-to the uncut portion of the web 4 of eachrail. horizontal scat joint portion is provided, the upper reduced partSoi' one web bearing on the lower reduced part 9 ol the contiguous web.The ends 10 andll of the heads of the rails are out through at anoblique angle and the base flanges 5 have their ends 12- and 13 likewisecut at oblique angles reverse to and'dnore acute than the angles of thehead c'n s. The rear vertical wall 14 of the undercut 6 of the one railweb 4 is also out through at an obli ue angle exactly coincident withthe angl adjacent flange 5 and the advance wall 15 of the upwardlyopening cut 7 of the other rail extremity is also beveled or has thesame oblique angle as the adjacent end 13 of the base flange 5.llxtcnding centrally through the reduced web extremities 8 and 9 aresemi-oval recesses 16 and 17 which, when united, or when the reducedwebs 8 and 9 are operatively assembled, provide an oval opening 18, asshown by Fig. 3. The webs 4 also have other circular openings 19- extending therethrough and in longitudinal alinement with the opening 13.These openings 18 and 19 are adapted to receive bolts and nut 20 0fusual form, as shown by Figs, 5 and 6.

Fish plates having a certain amount of inherent resiliency are used in(.onnoclioll with the joint and designated by the numeral 21. place andengaged by the olts 2), each plate aving a central circular opening 22and a plurality of oval openings or slots 23 to re- By this means anelongated o of the end 12 of the These fish plates are )re'l'crably slidinto Y spectivelycoincide with the openings 18 and r the Webs 4andengaging the circular openthrough the circular openings 22 of thefish improved joint hereinbefore explained, there pensatefor creeping orexpansion. and con traction of the rails, and 1n assembling theexplained the several vertical edges or surfaces will not be indirectcontact, but held 1 .sufficiently s aced to obviate the least tend- .10

at the center of the joint will be moved only when applied or withdrawn,as the portions ,of the joint shift or move relatively theretoconducive/to the reliable association of the 1 sections, the upper andlower edges of each under portioriof each head 3 and in the .ceive theiish plates are just long enough to 19." It will be understood that theopenings are shaped in the manner specified to comterminals of the'railshaving the contours .ency ofbuck ing of the joint portions of the railterminals. The bolts extending through ings 19 and the oval or elongatedslots 23 will move with the rail sections under expansion andcontraction stress, but the bolt passing plates and the elongated oroval openings 18 owing to the elongation or oval contour of the opening18.

As an incidental feature of construction fish plates with the oppositesides of the rail fish plate are formed with reverse bevels 24 and 25 to"engage correspondingly beveled grooves 26 and 27 respectively formed inthe flange 5 close to the web 4 or at the point of intersection of theweb with the flange. The fish plates are also slightly bowed as shown byFig. 6, and when slid into place and engaged by the bolts 20 will moreelliciently perform their desired functions.

It will be understood that the iish plates may be removed and theengaging ends oi the rail sections separated for repair purposes, butowing to the particular construction of the ends of the rail sectionsand especially the angular cut of the flange ends, wear oi" the tieswill be materially reduced. The single bolt passing through 'the'centerof the joint operates to keep the fish plates well tightened immediatelyat the joint. F urthermore, the grooves 26 and 27 to reallow lateraldisplacement of each plate and to permitthe fish plate to'slide in onedirection only far enough to clear the joint.

Although there may be a slight increase in the first cost of makingrails embodying the is a great saving in labor and repair work ascompared to ordinary rail joints and a marked reduction of wear on railends by a pounding and on the rolling stock, and acci-i dents are lessliable to occur in view of the l positive associated relation of theparts of l the joint and the resistance to lateral disparticular form offish ate shown and hereinbe'fore referred to is preferable, it'will beunderstood that any lish plate may be used and the number of bolts andbolt openings will be varied in accordance with the length of the platesem loyed.

Having thus c escribed the invention, what is claimed new, is: I

1. A rail joint having the ends of the rail sections and including therail heads and flanges cut oil obliquely at reverse angles and theadjacent portions of the webs longitudinally cut and removedrespectively downwardly through the end of one section and upwardlythrough the end of the op 0* site section to dispose the contiguous anguar ends of the heads of the rail sections out of vertical alinement inrelation to the -adjacent angular ends of the flanges of the sections.

2. A rail joint comprising rail sections having the ends of the headsand of the baseflanges ciit off obliquely at reverse angles and theadjacent portions of the webs longitudi nally 'cut and reversclyremoved, the joint project over the cut portion'of the remaining web,the angle oi the joint'between the base flanges being longer than thatbetween the heads.

4. A rail joint comprising ing contiguous ends cut oit obliquely and thejoint between the heads at an angle reverse to the joint between thebase flanges, the webs oi the adjacent rail ends being removed. bylongitudinally cutting the same and forming downwardly and upwardlyopening seats in the two ends oi thorail sections, fish plates appliedto. opposite sides of the rail sections against the we bs, and boltsprojecting through the iish plates and webs, one of the bolts extendingthrough the center of the oint and the parts oi the latter movable onthe said bolt.

in testimony whereof 1 have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing w1tnesses.

lilOllN B. VVEEVERC Witnesses:

'lnos W. LINpsAY, J OI-IN I'IERR, Sr.

